photo: Ryne Stanek (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)

With the New Year, the St. Louis Cardinals are continuing to add arms, but their on-the-block players have not yet been moved. All seven salary arbitration eligible players came to terms on 2026 contracts. Our history section highlights key events this past week in team annals.

Cardinals sign free agent reliever

On Saturday, reports indicated that the St. Louis Cardinals have signed veteran RHP Ryne Stanek to a one-year contract for $3.5 million. The deal includes a $6 million club option for 2027.  The signing has not been confirmed as of this writing as the deal is contingent on Stanek passing a physical.

Ryne Stanek

The 34-year-old reliever was born in St. Louis and attended Blue Valley High School in Stillwell, Kansas. As a high schooler, Stanek was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the third round in 2010 but did not sign. He played college baseball at the University of Arkansas and was drafted in the first round in 2013 by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Stanek played for three seasons in Tampa and was traded at the 2019 deadline to the Miami Marlins. He became a free agent in 2020 and joined the Houston Astros. After two seasons with the Astros, Stanek signed with the Seattle Mariners in March 2024. He was traded at the 2024 deadline to the New York Mets and later re-signed with the Mets for the 2025 season.

In 2025 with the Mets, Stanek posted a 4-6 record and an ERA of 5.30 in 56 innings. While Stanek has swing and miss stuff, he had a walk per nine innings rate of 5.14.

Stanek joins a bullpen that is being rebuilt following the loss of several veterans from last season, including Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz.

Cardinals cut ties with FanDuel Sports Network

With less than three months remaining before the 2026 season, Cardinals fans are uncertain how they will be watching their team’s games.

FanDuel Sports Network is having financial difficulties and after missing their January payment to the Cardinals, ongoing questions became louder regarding the future of regional sports networks, and particularly this one.

Branded as FanDuel Sports Network, its owner, Main Street Sports Group, had contracts with nine MLB teams for their broadcast rights, including the Cardinals. This past week, all nine teams reportedly terminated their contracts with Main Street. This was done mostly to avoid getting caught up in a potential bankruptcy proceeding should Main Street Sports Group file for their second round of bankruptcy protection.

Main Street has been seeking a buyer, and a potential sale to the streaming service DAZN did not work out. There have been rumors of interest by FUBO TV, but the reports have been conflicting.

So, what is next for the Cardinals broadcasting situation? There are several options available. One is to launch their own RSN, which the Texas Rangers did last season. The Cubs and the Yankees also have their own networks, Marquee Sports, and the YES Network. This option is the least likely for the Cardinals.

Another option is for MLB Media to take over the production of the local broadcasting. MLB Media did this for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins, and Guardians in 2025.  They are adding the Mariners in 2026. The Nationals are supposedly planning to leave MASN, which they share with the Baltimore Orioles, and join with MLB Media.

Teams could come up with their own alternatives as well, including contracting with an over-the-air affiliate or some other arrangement.

The nine teams at this point appear to be weighing their options. It remains possible that some will renegotiate with Main Street Sports Group.

Fans must wait to find out how the Cardinals plan to bring the games to their large fanbase in the most comprehensive way possible.

Cardinals with no arbitration hearings

On January 8, the Cardinals and their seven arbitration eligible players all came to an agreement on 2026 salaries. For the first time in several years, the team and its players will have no arbitration hearings.

The seven are Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, Lars Nootbaar, Andrew Pallante and JoJo Romero.

Full details here:

Cardinals, All Seven 2026 Arbitration-Eligible Players Settle

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section in the coming months will contain information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinal fans.

• The Cardinals’ Low-A affiliate, the Palm Beach Cardinals, will have a name change for all 12 of their Saturday home games in 2026, when they will be branded the “Frozen Iguanas”. While other Cardinals’ affiliates have used alternate identities in season, this is a first for Palm Beach.
• The Cardinals are less than a week away from their 29^th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.
• Autograph and photo tickets for the Winter Warm-Up are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online

• Cardinal ticket packs, all-inclusive tickets, Opening Day tickets, Cardinals Theme tickets and Spring Training tickets are now on sale. Information on purchasing any of these tickets and more can be found here.
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas, a popular entertainment baseball team, will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. Information can be found here.

The Big Picture

Phil Maton

There was modest offseason activity this past week, as the Cardinals reportedly signed free agent RHP Ryne Stanek to a one-year contract with a club option for 2027. Stanek, 34, does not meet the criteria set out by POBO Chaim Bloom that additions to the team will conform to their long-term goal of rebuilding the franchise back to its former glory. One wonders what the thinking is here, given Stanek’s age and the one-year contract. He may be late inning bullpen depth and a candidate to trade at the deadline, ala Phil Maton in 2025.

Justin Bruihl

The team’s other acquisition this week, LHP Justin Bruihl, appears on the surface as fitting better into Bloom’s construct. Bruihl is 28 years old and has 1.112 years of service time, meaning he is under control until 2031. Bruihl was acquired from the Guardians for cash. However, the journeyman has no minor league options remaining, severely limiting any flexibility the Cardinals might have with him.

There has been no publicly reported activity on the trade front for Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, and JoJo Romero. Donovan’s market appears to have stalled, reportedly because Bloom’s asking price is too high for interested teams to swallow. Bloom is said to be looking for two top prospects, and interested teams believe Donovan, an All-Star in 2025, is overvalued.

The Cardinals appear to be quite comfortable keeping Donovan and waiting for the 2026 trade deadline, and perhaps beyond, if necessary, to obtain the return they are seeking. Ketel Marte, strong competition for Donovan in the second base market, was pulled from the trade arena by the Diamondbacks this past week. This shrinks the available pool of second baseman, so perhaps the queasiness of those teams looking at Donovan will ease a bit.

Nolan Arenado

It appears the market for Nolan Arenado has not expanded beyond the Los Angeles Angels. It is not certain that Arenado would waive his no-trade clause for them should some deal be possible. Other teams have not shown interest, despite Arenado floating the idea of moving to first base to expand his versatility score. According to John Denton of MLB.com, a source told him that a deal for Arenado may have to wait until Spring Training, when teams may lose players to injury.

JoJo Romero

There is no additional news on Romero, either. Interest in the lefty reliever has been reported since the beginning of the offseason, but no deal has materialized as of this writing.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

Brendan Donovan

• The market for utility player Brendan Donovan, which had stalled for the past several weeks, could reheat following the news that the Diamondbacks will not be trading 2B Ketel Marte. Marte had been the most significant competition for Donovan in the market of teams looking for a second baseman.

The Donovan market has stalled not only due to the perceived availability of Marte, but also due to what some teams consider an extremely high price for the All Star. We reported here previously that POBO Chaim Bloom was seeking two top prospects for Donovan. Several teams have balked at the high price, including the Kansas City Royals, according to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.

Teams may be waiting to see if the price comes down, but it likely won’t, says ESPN’s Jeff Passan, in answer to a fan question on social media.

As Passan says, the Cardinals do not need to trade Donovan and would be comfortable waiting until the 2026 deadline or the 2026-27 offseason.

Transactions

• 1/6 The Cardinals acquired LHP Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians.
• 1/6 The Cardinals designated RHP Zak Kent for assignment.
• 1/9 RHP Zak Kent was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for future updates coming from Winter Warm-Up this coming weekend.

Looking Ahead

After the date for exchange of arbitration figures, the next offseason date of interest is January 15. This is the opening day on the calendar for teams to sign international amateurs.

The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will take place on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday January 18, 2026. The Cardinals Caravan, which runs in conjunction with the Winter Warm-Up, begins on January 16, 2026. Details on both can be found here, and here.

The announcement of the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced on January 21 at 5:00 p.m. CT. The only former Cardinal on the ballot is Carlos Beltran, who figures to have the best chance to be elected.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events from the history of the franchise for a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events from the period January 5 through January 11. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

January 5, 1937 – The Cardinals signed 16-year-old Stan Musial to his first professional baseball contract.

January 5, 2024 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Andrew Kittredge from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Richie Palacios.

January 6, 1967 – Former Cardinals manager Johnny Keane passed away at the age of 55.

January 7, 1985 – Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers of America.

January 7, 1985 – Cardinals outfielder Enos Slaughter is selected by the Veterans Committee to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

January 8, 2002 – Former Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers of America.

January 8, 2016 – The Cardinals former scouting director, Chris Correa, pled guilty in federal court to five counts of Unauthorized Access of a Protected Computer and is later sentenced to 46 months in prison. Correa unlawfully accessed the computer system of the Houston Astros and entered their player personnel system and email database.

January 11, 2010 – Former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, recently hired as the Cardinals hitting coach, publicly apologized for his use of steroids that began prior to the 1990 season. McGwire had refused to talk about steroid allegations in a congressional hearing in 2005.

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photo: Jo Jo Romero (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

As expected, New Year’s week was quiet for the St. Louis Cardinals, but their off-season dealing is not done. Will reliever JoJo Romero be the next to go? Exchange of salary arbitration amounts are just ahead. Our history section highlights key events this past week in team annals.

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section contains information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to St. Louis Cardinals fans.

• Former Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong has found a home in New York. DeJong has reportedly come to terms on a minor league contract with the Yankees with an invitation to spring training. As of this writing, the deal has not been confirmed by the Yankees.
• The Cardinals are preparing for their 29^th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.

• Cardinal ticket packs, all-inclusive tickets, Opening Day tickets, and Cardinals Theme tickets are now on sale. Information on purchasing any of these tickets and more can be found here.
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas popular entertainment baseball team will come to St. Louis on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour.

More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.

Year end features

This past week at The Cardinal Nation, we closed out 2025 with two articles. One detailed our top 10 stories of the year. The other remembered 17 former Cardinals and Browns who passed during 2025.

The Cardinal Nation’s Top 10 St. Louis Cardinals Stories of 2025

In Memory of Former St. Louis Cardinals – 2025

The Big Picture

The New Year has begun, but there are no new developments in the Cardinals’ offseason activity. As stated here last week, activity should pick up in January, but the first four days have been silent.

Now that both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras have been moved, Nolan Arenado remains to be dealt, and possibly Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero. Arenado’s market is stalled due to the availability of third basemen Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez and his large contract. However, there may be interest expressed in Arenado by at least one team, the Los Angeles Angels. Interest in the Cardinal third baseman could pick up once Bregman and Suarez find homes.

Brendan Donovan

POBO Chaim Bloom appears to be in no hurry to move Donovan. At least one team with interest, the Seattle Mariners, may not be a trade partner after all. It has been reported that the Mariners are reluctant to trade from their major league roster, and Bloom has made no secret of his plan to add to the Cardinals’ major league roster via the trade market.

Significant trade interest in Donovan remains, with one addition to that list being the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals making all their trades with only one team seems unlikely, as the Red Sox do not have an unlimited stream of players to trade away. Nevertheless, no trade for Donovan appears to be close with any team.

JoJo Romero

There have been no additional trade rumors about Romero in the last few weeks. Romero remains likely to be traded, however, and once the market picks up again in January, we may see the lefty reliever moved before anyone else.

We move on from the trade market to discuss the upcoming arbitration season. The Cardinals have seven arbitration eligible players, two of whom, Donovan and Romero, are likely to be traded. The date for players and teams to exchange salary arbitration figures is this coming Thursday, January 8, 2026. Should Donovan and/or Romero be traded before January 8, they will exchange figures with their new team. The remaining five players are Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Andre Pallante, and Matthew Liberatore. Nootbaar and Pallante are returning for their second year of arbitration. Gorman, Burleson, and Liberatore will be exchanging figures for the first time.

The projected salaries for the five players via MLB Trade Rumors are: Nootbaar ($5.7M), Burleson ($3.5 M), Pallante ($3.4M), Gorman ($2.9M) and Liberatore ($2.8M). Donovan and Romero are projected to receive $5.4M and $4.4M respectively.

Now we wait to see how the trade market shakes out for Donovan and Romero in particular, though it remains possible for other players to be traded as well. It may be a longer wait for Arenado.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

• In previous weeks, we have learned that the Seattle Mariners were a front runner to potentially acquire utility player Brendan Donovan. This week, we learned that any negotiations that may have been going on with Seattle have apparently stalled. According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the Mariners are reluctant to trade from their major league roster. POBO Chaim Bloom has frequently stated that he hopes to add to the Cardinals major league roster via a trade and has done so with trades of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. If the Mariners are not willing to give up a major league player in a trade for Donovan, then perhaps a trade with Seattle is not going to be possible.

Nolan Arenado

• It appears that the Los Angeles Angels are indeed interested in Cardinal third baseman Nolan Arenado. In prior installments of this Notebook, it was reported that Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic had opined that the Angels might be interested in Arenado after they settled their contract issues with Anthony Rendon. Those contract issues have been dealt with and now Will Sammon and Katie Woo of the Athletic have reported that the Angels are looking for a third baseman and have interest in Arenado. But with Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez still available, Arenado’s market remains stalled.
• In the piece by Sammon and Woo above, it has also come to light that the Cardinals’ lone trading partner so far in the offseason, the Boston Red Sox, are also interested in Brendan Donovan. In fact, the Cardinals and the Red Sox have already discussed a possible trade for Donovan. It appears that Bloom’s prior association with the Red Sox has led to a virtual pipeline between St. Louis and Boston. The Cardinals have made it clear they do not have to trade Donovan, and are very deliberate in their negotiations, looking for just the right package to pull the trigger. Despite all the rumors, say Sammon and Woo, no trade for Donovan with any team is close.

Transactions

There are no transactions to report.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.

Looking Ahead

The next date on the offseason calendar is January 8, 2026. This is the deadline for teams and their arbitration eligible players to exchange salary figures. As of this writing, the Cardinals have seven arbitration eligible players. They are Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman, and Matthew Liberatore.

January 15, 2026 is the opening day on the 2026 calendar for teams to sign international amateurs.

The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will take place on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday January 18, 2026.   The Cardinals Caravan, which runs concurrently with the Winter Warm-Up, begins on Friday, January 16, 2026. Details on both can be found here, and here.

The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced on January 21, 2026. The only former Cardinal on the 2026 ballot is Carlos Beltran, who figures to have the best chance to be elected.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise for a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period December 29 through January 4. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

December 29, 1981 – After acquiring RHP Joaquin Andujar from the Houston Astros in a June 6, 1981 trade, the Cardinals signed Andujar as a free agent to a three-year/$1.2M contract. Andujar was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1985.

January 1, 1966 – On this date, the Cardinals announced that Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, built to replace Sportsman’s Park, will be renamed Busch Stadium.

January 1, 1996 – The Cardinals removed the artificial playing surface from Busch Stadium with a plan to replace it before the new season with infield grass. The Astro Turf had been in Busch Stadium for 26 years.

January 2, 1920 – Branch Rickey and the Cardinals borrowed $10,000 from stockholders of the team to purchase Jesse “Pop” Haines from the Kansas City Blues, a minor league team in the American Association. Haines pitched for the Cardinals for 18 seasons and retired at the age of 44.

January 3, 1956 – Cardinal GM Frank Lane began a process to remove the Birds on the Bat logo from the Cardinals uniform. The fans did not care for the change and the logo was returned to the uniform after one season.

January 4, 1942 – Former Cardinals icon and second baseman Rogers Hornsby was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

January 4, 2002 – Starting pitcher Matt Morris, drafted by the Cardinals in 1995, signed a three-year/$27 million contract. Morris underwent Tommy John surgery in 1999 and returned to the team in 2001. Morris was selected to the All-Star Team and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2001. He re-signed with the Cardinals on a one-year contract after the 2004 season. Morris became a free agent again in 2005 and signed with the San Francisco Giants.

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Bill DeWitt Jr. (John Max Mena photo)

As expected, Christmas week was quiet for the St. Louis Cardinals, but their off-season dealing is not over. Our history section highlights key events this past week in team annals, including the 1995 announcement of the sale of the Cardinals to the DeWitt group.

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section contains information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to St. Louis Cardinals fans.

• The Cardinals’ 29^th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans are coming soon. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Autograph tickets are now on sale. Details here.

• Seven Cardinals ticket packs are now available. Information can be found
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas, a popular entertainment baseball team, will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. Information can be found here.

The Big Picture

Since the announcement of the Willson Contreras trade a week ago Sunday evening, Christmas week was uneventful in terms of offseason activity.

Jared Shuster

One transaction that occurred was the signing of LHP Jared Shuster to a minor league contract with an invitation to St. Louis’ spring training camp. Shuster will join the cadre of pitchers competing for a spot either in the major league rotation or the bullpen. For Shuster, the bullpen is the most likely landing spot should he make the opening day roster.

In the coming weeks, fans should be on the lookout for news concerning possible trades of Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, and JoJo Romero. Other trades are of course possible, but the aforementioned three are the most likely to be moved in the short term.

President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has indicated he is looking to add to the major league roster on the position player side. A right-handed bat is the target, most likely in the outfield. Given the team’s rebuilding posture, such a bat is not likely to come as a high dollar free agent, but more likely in a trade return or a less expensive free agent.

For now, we wait to see what happens as the New Year comes upon us. Offseason activity should pick up in January.

Stay tuned for more happenings.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

• Subsequent to the trade of 1B Willson Contreras, POBO Chaim Bloom met with members of the media via Zoom. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Bloom is looking to add position player depth, more specifically a right-handed bat with power, either in the outfield or infield, but preferably in the outfield. Bloom added that the power bat is needed to help replace the production lost from Contreras.
• The Cardinals added to their pitching depth by signing LHP Jared Shuster to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 26-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Chicago White Sox, posting a combined record of 2-5 and an ERA of 4.96 in 89 innings pitched, mostly in relief. Prior to the White Sox, Shuster pitched for the Atlanta Braves, making 11 starts in 2023.

Transactions

• 12/22 – The Cardinals traded 1B Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox for RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo, and RHP Blake Aita.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for further information. The next updates may come during Winter Warm-Up.

Looking Ahead

The month of December is winding down. The only date of consequence coming up before the New Year is December 31, the last day for Baseball Hall of Fame voters to turn in their ballots.

The next date on the offseason calendar is January 8, 2026, which is the deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to exchange salary figures. As of this writing, the Cardinals have seven such players – Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore.

The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will take place on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday January 18, 2026.   The Cardinals Caravan, which runs in conjunction with the Winter Warm-Up, begins on January 16, 2026. Details on both can be found here and here.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past continues with the series highlighting notable events in the history of the franchise during a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period December 22 through December 28. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

December 22, 1995 – Anheuser-Busch comes to an agreement with an investment group led by Bill DeWitt Jr, to sell the Cardinals franchise. The deal was contingent on the promise to keep the team in St. Louis. The sale price was a reported $150 million, considered a bargain, as the franchise’s estimated value was twice that amount. The new owners took advantage of a market that was depressed following the disastrous 1994 strike.

December 22, 2011 – The Cardinals signed free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran to a two-year/$26 million contract. Beltran was signed to replace Albert Pujols, who weeks earlier signed a 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

December 22, 2015 – The Cardinals signed RHP Mike Leake to a five-year/$80 million contract. Leake did not finish the second year of that contract, as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in August 2017 for minor leaguer Rayder Ascanio. The trade was a salary dump, as Ascanio never made it out of the minor leagues. Leake was out of baseball after the 2019 season.

December 23, 2004 – The Cardinals signed free agent SS David Eckstein to a three-year/ $10.25 million contract. Eckstein was voted the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2006 and was a fan favorite for getting the most out of his abilities.

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All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!

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photo: Dustin May (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals signed starting pitcher Dustin May and added a promising reliever in the Rule 5 Draft. The Draft Lottery was not kind, with the Cardinals to pick 13^th. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.

Cardinals add free agent pitcher

On Saturday, multiple sources reported that the St. Louis Cardinals have signed right-handed pitcher Dustin May to a one-year contract, pending a physical. The team has not confirmed the deal.

Dustin May

The 28-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in the third round in 2016 and spent five full seasons with Los Angeles. He was traded at the 2025 deadline to the Boston Red Sox.  The right hander has been plagued by injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2023 and surgery for an esophageal tear that kept him from returning to pitch in 2024.

May made 18 starts for the Dodgers in 2025, posting an ERA of 4.85 with 97 strikeouts. He was traded to Boston on July 31, just one day after the Dodgers announced they were moving May to the bullpen. May then made six uneven starts with the Red Sox before his season ended prematurely with right elbow neuritis.

If May can remain healthy, he has high upside potential. He is expected to join 2025 holdovers Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy, and new acquisition Richard Fitts in the starting rotation mix. Only McGreevy and Liberatore seem to have a guaranteed rotation spot, while the rest will be competing in spring training.

The financials of the deal with May are currently unknown.

Winter Meetings fruitful, though no deals

President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom was reportedly quite busy during the Winter Meetings that concluded on Wednesday, December 10. Though no transactions were finalized, Bloom engaged in talks with multiple teams regarding possible trades for Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. It has been reported that the preliminary negotiations for the just announced Dustin May deal took place at the meetings in Orlando.

The Cardinals did, however, make one acquisition for the major league roster and one more for the player development system via the Rule 5 draft that took place on the last day of the event.

Matt Pushard

The team acquired RHP Matt Pushard from the Miami Marlins in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft. Pushard was added to the 40-man roster and must remain on the active 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season (unless injured) or be claimed off waivers or returned to the Marlins.

Ryan Murphy

In the minor league phase of the draft, the Cardinals took RHP Ryan Murphy from the Giants, who ended the 2025 season on San Francisco’s Double-A affiliate the Richmond Flying Squirrels. In the minor league phase, teams may keep the player without restrictions.

The Cardinals lost one player in the Major League phase and three players in the minor league phase. The Yankees took RHP Cade Winquest from the Cardinals in the Major League phase. Conceivably, Winquest could be returned to the Cardinals if he doesn’t work out for the Yankees and isn’t claimed off waivers by another team.

In the minor league phase, the Cardinals lost RHP Sean Harney to the Diamondbacks, OF Matt Lloyd to the Red Sox, and RHP Zane Mills to the Cubs.

Another event that occurred at the Winter Meetings was the Draft Lottery. The Cardinals had another chance to get a top pick in the 2026 draft. However, the team’s position fell to 13^th, after St. Louis picked seventh in 2024 and fifth in 2025.

All in all, the Cardinals made headway during the meetings and did not come out of them empty-handed.

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section in the coming months will contain information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinals fans.

• Broadcaster Joe Buck, 56, a St. Louis native and son of the late Cardinal Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck, is the 2026 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. Buck is the second youngest recipient of the award after 54-year-old Vin Scully, who won it in 1982. Buck prevailed over many deserving finalists, including current KMOX Cardinals radio announcer John Rooney.
• The Cardinals announced their 29^th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.

• Seven Cardinal ticket packs are now on sale. Information on purchasing them can be found
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour.

More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.

The Big Picture

The Winter Meetings are over, and though no big deals were made, the Cardinals still made progress in their efforts to rebuild the franchise. They acquired two pitchers in the Rule 5 draft, and apparently began negotiations for a third pitcher, Dustin May, whose deal with the Cardinals was disclosed on Saturday, pending a physical. Plus, a 40-man roster move must be made to open a spot for May.

Thus, two new pitchers have been acquired for the major league roster, one a starter and the other, RHP Matt Pushard, likely going into the bullpen. A third pitcher, right hander Ryan Murphy, is headed to the minor leagues.

The Cardinals continue in their efforts to trade veterans Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, plus possibly Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero if the right package is offered. Though remote, the potential still exists for all four of the above players to still be with the team when the 2026 season begins. POBO Chaim Bloom has ruled out releasing Arenado, and a trade of Contreras is contingent on him waiving his no-trade clause.

Brendan Donovan

Donovan and Romero reportedly have multiple suitors for their services, but there is no guarantee that any interested team will agree to the Cardinals’ demands. The price for Donovan appears to be two top prospects, a cost that may eliminate several teams. The Mariners and the Giants have been reported to be the front-runners for Donovan and the Yankees are the latest interested party for Romero. Bloom has the luxury of time on his side. The Cardinals’ rebuilding efforts are a multiyear project so he can wait for the 2026 trade deadline or possibly beyond to obtain the deal he wants.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

• Will Sammon of the Athletic reported the Mets’ interest in outfielder Lars Nootbaar and first baseman Willson Contreras. Since that report was filed, the Mets signed infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year deal. Polanco is expected to play 1B/DH for the Mets. As for Nootbaar, the Mets interest in him is as a replacement for the departed Brandon Nimmo. However, as mentioned in this space last week, Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch wrote that other interested teams who have inquired have been told the Cardinals are not actively shopping the rehabbing outfielder.

Willson Contreras

• Though the Mets may be out as a suitor for Contreras, the Boston Red Sox are now in. Per Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox have interest in Contreras after missing out on free agent Pete Alonso, who recently signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Contreras has softened his stance from last season regarding his willingness to waive his no-trade clause and leave St. Louis. The Cardinals have already made one trade with Boston this offseason, and having his former teammate Sonny Gray on the team could help make the Red Sox an acceptable destination for Contreras.

JoJo Romero

• Another hot trade candidate from the Cardinals is LHP JoJo Romero. The team has received many calls on the reliever and the New York Yankees are a recent addition to the list, according to Goold. While Romero can certainly be dealt for the right price, Goold writes that the Cardinals may decide to keep the southpaw. The Cardinals are currently looking to add relief help. Another addition, especially a left-handed one, may allow the Cardinals to be more willing to trade Romero.
• With reportedly nearly half the league showing interest in super utility player Brendan Donovan, the Mariners and the Giants appear to be the front runners, says Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo states that specific prospects have been discussed with both teams. In each case, two top prospects appear to be the asking price for Donovan. Both teams are reportedly in on second baseman Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks as well, though Donovan’s versatility could give him the advantage. Woo also writes that the Mariners’ loss of infielder Jorge Polanco to the Mets may make Seattle the more aggressive of the two suitors, while the Giants are said to be exploring all available options to upgrade the second base position.

Transactions

• 12/10 The Cardinals purchased the contract of RHP Matt Pushard in the Rule 5 draft.
• 12/13 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Dustin May.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.

Looking Ahead

The Winter Meetings have concluded. The Cardinals did not finalize any deals but did make progress with rebuilding efforts. As the offseason continues the team looks to trade some players from the roster and add to it with players acquired in trades and free agent signings.

More deadlines are on the horizon as we close out December and enter 2026.

The closing date for the signing of international amateurs is December 15, 2025. The next signing period begins on January 15, 2026.

The next key date on the offseason calendar is January 8, 2026, the deadline for teams and their arbitration eligible players to exchange salary figures. As of this writing, the Cardinals have seven arbitration eligible players. They are Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore.

The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will take place on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday January 18, 2026.  The Cardinals Caravan, which runs in conjunction with the Winter Warm-Up, begins on January 16, 2026. Details on can be found here and here.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise during a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period December 8 through December 14. For each, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

December 8, 2015 – The Cardinals traded OF Jon Jay to the San Diego Padres for infielder Jedd Gyorko and cash.

December 8, 2019 – The Veterans Committee selected C Ted Simmons for Hall of Fame induction in July, 2020.

December 9, 1980 – The Cardinals acquired reliever Bruce Sutter from the Cubs for OF Leon Durham and IF Ken Reitz.

December 9, 2016 – The Cardinals signed OF Dexter Fowler to a five-year/$82.5 million contract. Fowler’s contribution to the Cardinals was mixed, and he was ultimately traded on February 4, 2021 to the Los Angeles Angels for a player to be named later or cash. It was a salary dump in essence. After suffering a season ending knee injury in April 2021 and a brief stint with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A team in 2022, Fowler retired from baseball.

December 9, 2022 – The Cardinals signed C Willson Contreras to a five-year/$87.5 million contract.

December 10, 1981 – The Cardinals acquired SS Ozzie Smith and RHP Steve Mura from the San Diego Padres for SS Garry Templeton and OF Sixto Lezcano.

December 11, 2010 – The Cardinals traded SS Brendan Ryan to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Maikel Cleto.

December 11, 2012 – The Cardinals traded 2B Skip Schumaker to the Los Angeles Dodgers for SS Jake Lemmerman.

December 13, 2003 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Adam Wainwright, LHP Ray King, and RHP Jason Marquis for OF J.D. Drew and C Eli Marrero. Wainwright was in the top three finishers for the Cy Young Award four times and played for the Cardinals for 18 seasons. Drew played for the Braves for one season and was traded. Marrero was also traded after one season in Atlanta.

December 13, 2017 – The Cardinals traded RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Sandy Alcantara, LHP Daniel Castano and OF Magneuris Sierra to the Miami Marlins for OF Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna played for the Cardinals for two indifferent seasons. Alcantara won a Cy Young Award with the Marlins and Gallen was a Cy Young finalist with the Diamondbacks.

December 14, 2007 – The Cardinals acquired 3B David Freese for 37-year-old OF Jim Edmonds.

December 14, 2017 – The Cardinals traded OF Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics for 2B Max Schrock and IF/OF Yairo Muñoz. Piscotty is a native of the Bay area and his mother had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) when the trade was made.

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photo: Brendan Donovan (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals are frequently mentioned in current trade rumors. The Draft Lottery and Rule 5 Draft will occur in the coming week. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section contains information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to St. Louis Cardinals fans.

• The Cardinals announced their 29th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.

• Cardinals ticket packs for the 2026 season are now on sale. There are seven ticket packs available. Information on purchasing one or more of these packs can be found
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas are scheduled to return to St. Louis next year for two games. The popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour.

More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.

The Big Picture

The 2025 Winter Meetings began on Sunday, December 7 in Orlando, Florida. The meetings will last through Wednesday, December 10. President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom seeks to trade two more veterans, and possibly some arbitration eligible players in furtherance of the team’s rebuilding efforts.

Zak Kent

On Friday, the Cardinals picked up right-handed reliever Zak Kent off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.  The 40-man roster is now up to 39.

Brendan Donovan

At this point, there have been multiple reports of significant trade interest in Brendan Donovan. The team’s public stance is that they will trade him if they receive an offer they can’t refuse. This is a typical posturing statement that makes it clear to interested teams that the Cardinals are looking for a high-quality return for Donovan. It is quite possible, due to the high number of teams showing interest, that they may get that return.

Nolan Arenado

On the other side of the spectrum, there has been no reported interest in Nolan Arenado. We will see if that changes during the Winter Meetings. It may be later in the offseason, after other available third basemen have been traded, that Arenado’s market picks up. Or he will remain with the Cardinals.

Willson Contreras

Willson Contreras has recently made it known that he is open to being traded, a change from his stance at the end of the season. Though Contreras still has significant money remaining on his contract, he should not be as difficult to move as Arenado. Unlike Arenado, Contreras had a good 2025 season, both offensively and defensively. Nevertheless, it is quite possible the Cardinals will have to eat some of his contract to get the return they seek.

On the final day of the Winter Meetings, Wednesday, the Rule 5 draft will be held. The Cardinals will likely be participants with high-upside pitching the expected target. As of now, they only have one open roster spot remaining but still have time for further moves.

The Draft Lottery will also take place during the meetings, on Tuesday. The Cardinals have one final chance to get a high draft pick in the 2026 draft.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

JoJo Romero

• Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero is on a list of relievers the Seattle Mariners are looking to acquire, according to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. The Mariners are looking for two relievers to upgrade their bullpen. On Saturday, the Mariners traded for one of the relievers on the reported list, Jose Ferrer of the Washington Nationals.
• The Mariners have been added to the growing list of teams interested in Brendan Donovan. In an earlier article by Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the Mariners tried to acquire Donovan last offseason, and have approached new POBO Chaim Bloom to discuss a possible trade.

Multiple sources have affirmed that the interest in Donovan is very high, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote that the market for Donovan is “percolating’ and he predicts there is a 75% chance Donovan will be traded.

• In one of her final articles before moving on to cover the Los Angeles Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that first baseman Willson Contreras has become more willing to waive his no-trade clause for the right fit in a trade. This is a change from his position expressed at the end of the season that he preferred to stay with the Cardinals. Contreras has two years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract, plus a club option for 2028.

Lars Nootbaar

• Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch writes that he is hearing from sources of rival teams that the Cardinals appear not to be actively seeking to trade Lars Nootbaar. The outfielder had been named in several rumors this offseason, but it seems the Cardinals may believe moving Nootbaar in the offseason would be selling low. Nootbaar is recovering from surgery on both heels for Haglund’s deformities and his availability for opening day is questionable. Given the injury and Nootbaar’s down season in 2025 (possibly due to the heel issue), the Cardinals could be planning to wait and see if the outfielder bounces back in the first half of 2026.

Transactions

• 12/5 The Cardinals claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.

Looking Ahead

The Winter Meetings are underway, when trades and signings may be commenced/finalized. In the past, these Meetings were very busy and impactful. For the last several years they have become less so, as teams are waiting longer for various reasons to make their decisions on players they wish to acquire.

The Rule 5 draft will take place on the last day of the Winter Meetings.  Also occurring during the Winter Meetings is the draft lottery which will be on Tuesday, December 9.  The CBA prohibits teams from having lottery picks in three straight years. The Cardinals had a lottery pick last year, so this year will be their final chance under the current CBA, which expires on December 1, 2026.

The closing date for the signing of international amateurs is December 15, 2025. The next signing period begins on January 15, 2026.

The next key date on the offseason calendar is January 8, 2026. This is the deadline for teams and their arbitration eligible players to exchange salary figures. As of this writing, the Cardinals have seven players in this category – Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the past history of the franchise for a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period December 1 through December 7. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

December 1, 2015 – The Cardinals traded C Tony Cruz to the Kansas City Royals for OF Jose Martinez. Martinez made it to the major league roster late in 2016 and remained with the Cardinals through the 2019 season. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on January 9, 2020 along with Randy Arozarena for LHP Matthew Liberatore.

December 1, 2016 – The Cardinals traded LHP Jaime Garcia to the Atlanta Braves for 2B Luke Dykstra, RHP Chris Ellis and RHP John Gant. Dykstra and Ellis never made it to the major league roster. Dykstra was released and Ellis was taken in the Rule 5 draft by the Texas Rangers. Gant pitched for the Cardinals, both as a starter and a reliever for five seasons. The Cardinals traded him to the Minnesota Twins on July 30, 2021 for starting pitcher J.A. Happ.

December 2, 1928 – 1B Jim Bottomley was named the National League Most Valuable Player.

December 2, 1948 – Stan Musial was named the National League Most Valuable Player.

December 5, 1967 – Stan Musial resigns after one year as the Cardinals’ General Manager and is replaced by Bing Devine. Musial remains with the Cardinals as a Senior Vice President and Consultant.

December 5, 2018 – The Cardinals acquired 1B Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for C Carson Kelly, RHP Luke Weaver and 2B Andy Young. Goldschmidt remained with the Cardinals until he became a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. He is currently again a free agent after one year with the New York Yankees. Kelly is playing for the Chicago Cubs, and Weaver is a free agent after two seasons with the Yankees. Young last played for the Washington Nationals organization in 2021.

December 6, 2023 – The Cardinals selected RHP Ryan Fernandez as the seventh pick in the Rule 5 draft from the Boston Red Sox. Fernandez made the Opening Day roster in 2024 and remains a key piece in the bullpen.

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photo: Sonny Gray (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals started their offseason trading, sending Sonny Gray to Boston. The team set their 2026 coaching staff with only small changes. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.

Sonny Gray traded in the first move of the offseason

In a move that should be no surprise to St. Louis Cardinals’ fans, President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has made his first offseason trade by sending RHP Sonny Gray and cash to the Boston Red Sox. In return for Gray, the Cardinals received RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke, and a player to be named later or cash.

The return is in line with the expectation that the Cardinals would be seeking to add pitching.

The Cardinals sent $20 million in cash to Boston as the Red Sox re-worked Gray’s contract. The pitcher waived his no-trade protection to facilitate the deal.

Richard Fitts

On St. Louis’ side of the transaction, the 25-year-old Fitts partially covers the loss of Gray from the starting rotation. His acquisition is consistent with the organization’s attempt to rebuild for the future with a youthful core of players. Fitts made his debut in the major leagues with Boston in 2024 and made four starts, posting 1.74 ERA. He started 10 additional games in 2025, with an ERA of 5.00 in 45 innings pitched.

Bloom stated that he expects Fitts to compete for a starting rotation job in Spring Training, along with Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy. Fitts had experienced some nerve pain in his right arm in 2025, but Bloom affirmed that he has moved beyond that injury and is expected to be ready for spring.

Brandon Clarke

Clarke, 22, was Boston’s fifth-round draft pick in 2024. He finished his 2025 season with High-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive. Like Fitts, Clarke was bothered by injury, suffering blisters that kept him from pitching during the final month of the season. Also like Fitts, Clarke is expected by Bloom to be fully recovered and ready to pitch in the spring. Clarke has been assigned to the Cardinals’ High-A Peoria Chiefs.

The Cardinals still look to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has made a trade this time around more likely by expanding his list of acceptable teams. Willson Contreras is also a possible trade candidate if an offer acceptable to him were to surface. In addition, Bloom has expressed a willingness to listen to offers for some or all his arbitration eligible players, including Brendan Donovan, who has garnered interest from several teams.

Marmol’s 2026 coaching staff is set

The Cardinals announced on Wednesday, November 26, that they have finalized the major league coaching staff for the 2026 season.

Returning staff:

• Bench Coach Daniel Descalso.
• Pitching Coach Dusty Blake.
• Hitting Coach Brant Brown.
• First base Coach Stubby Clapp.
• Third base Coach Ron “Pop” Warner.
• Outfield, Baserunning, and Quality Control Coach Jon Jay.
• Assistant Hitting Coach Brandon Allen.
• Assistant Pitching/Bullpen Coach Julio Rangel.
• Bullpen Coach Jamie Pogue.
• Bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran.

In addition, the organization added Casey Chenoweth as Assistant Hitting Coach, and Kyle Driscoll as Assistant Pitching Coach.

Chenoweth was the Hitting Coach for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in 2025 and is in his third season with the organization.

Driscoll is a new hire who served as the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025.

Patrick “Packy” Elkins will be serving in a new role as Offensive Strategist. Dean Kiekhefer will take on a similar role as Pitching Strategist.

Chad Blair and Noah Landow return as Major League Video Coordinator and Major League Video and Technology Specialist. Matthew Bennett continues as MLB Analyst.

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section contains information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinal fans.

• According to Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch, the Cardinals have had preliminary extension talks with manager Oli Marmol. Marmol is entering the final year of his contract in 2026.
• Former St. Louis closer Ryan Helsley signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. The contract contains an opt-out after the first season.
• The Cardinals announced their 29th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.
• Seven Cardinals 2026 ticket packs are now on sale. Information can be found
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas, a popular entertainment baseball team, will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour.

More information about the event and how to buy tickets can be found here.

The Big Picture

The Cardinals made their first big transaction of the offseason this past week, as they traded RHP Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox for two young pitchers and a player to be named later or cash. One of the pitchers, RHP Richard Fitts, has major league pitching experience, and according to POBO Chaim Bloom, will be competing for a rotation spot in the spring. The other pitcher, Brandon Clarke, has been assigned to the Cardinals’ High-A Peoria Chiefs.

Sonny Gray

The trade of Gray is not unexpected given the organization’s stated desire to rid themselves of their big salary veteran contracts as a part of their rebuilding efforts. A trade of Nolan Arenado is also expected some time this offseason. Willson Contreras could also be on the move if the team can find a trade partner that is acceptable to the veteran first baseman.

Yohel Pozo

As forecasted in this space in prior weeks, the Cardinals followed up their non-tender of catcher Yohel Pozo on November 21 by re-signing him to a split major league contract three days later. The non-tender followed by a re-signing is a cost saving move for the organization, as Pozo would be paid a much lower salary while in the minor leagues on the split contract.

Sem Robberse

The Cardinals also re-signed RHP Sem Robberse to a minor league contract. Robberse was among Cardinals who had been non-tendered. At the same time, the team signed RHP free agent pitcher Scott Blewett to a minor league contract. Blewett is a reliever who pitched for three teams, the Twins, the Orioles, and the Braves in 2025. Both Robberse and Blewett will likely begin their 2026 season with the Memphis Redbirds.

Scott Blewett

MLB’s Winter Meetings take place in Orlando, Florida beginning next Sunday, December 7 and will run through Wednesday, December 10. During the final day of the meetings, the Rule 5 draft will take place.

The Winter Meetings have been the scene of many trades and free agent signings in past years. Bloom is likely to be very busy, as he has made it clear that he has a number of assets to trade. In addition to the above-mentioned veterans, he will also be listening to offers for some of his arbitration eligible players. Among players reportedly already receiving significant trade interest are Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

• Katie Woo of the Athletic wrote that Cardinals’ utility player Brendan Donovan is receiving significant interest in the trade market. The Cardinals are willing to trade Donovan for the right package, says Woo, but if they do not receive the return they are seeking, they will pivot to moving outfielder Lars Nootbaar or infielder Nolan Gorman. The right offer for Gorman would accomplish an organizational goal, which is opening up an infield spot for top prospect JJ Wetherholt.

Trading Nootbaar is complicated by his offseason surgery for Haglund’s deformities and possibly not being ready to play by Opening Day. The Cardinals would be trading low on Nootbaar and also to some extent on Gorman, who is not injured, but has not performed to expectations for the past several seasons. The Rangers had previously expressed interest in Nootbaar, but they recently acquired Mets OF Brandon Nimmo, an indication that the interest may no longer exist.

• The Pirates are one team that have expressed interest in Donovan, Nootbaar, and Gorman, as well as OF/DH/1B Alec Burleson, according to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of the Athletic. Trading with another NL Central team can be tricky, but the Cardinals have traded with the Pirates in the recent past. They acquired pitcher Jose Quintana from Pittsburgh in 2022 for pitcher Johan Oveido, as an example. The Pirates have a surplus of young pitching, which is a need for the Cardinals in their rebuild.

The Cardinals are not necessarily looking to trade Burleson, and according to Woo and others in another Athletic piece, would need to be blown away by an offer to do so.

Transactions

• 11/25 The Cardinals traded RHP Sonny Gray and cash to the Boston Red Sox for RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke, and a player to be named later or cash.
• 11/25 The Cardinals signed free agent C Yohel Pozo.
• 11/26 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Sem Robberse to a minor league contract.
• 11/26 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Scott Blewett to a minor league contract.

Injury Report

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.

Looking Ahead

The next date on the offseason schedule is December 7, when two things will happen. First, the Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Committee will announce their selections. It was formerly known as the Veterans Committee. The nominees are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. The latter finished his career with the Cardinals.

Also on December 7, the Winter Meetings begin. This annual event takes place December 7 through 10 in Orlando Florida. This is the time when trades and signings may be commenced/finalized. In the past these Meetings were very busy and impactful. For the last several years they have become less so, as teams are waiting longer for various reasons to make their decisions on players they wish to acquire.

During the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 draft takes place. Also occurring during the Winter Meetings is the draft lottery. The CBA prohibits teams from having lottery picks in three straight years. The Cardinals had a lottery pick last year, so this year will be their final chance under the current CBA, which expires on December 1, 2026.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past continues with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise for a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period of November 17 through November 23. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

November 24, 2009 – Albert Pujols won his third National League MVP award in a unanimous vote. It was his second consecutive MVP honor. He was the fifth player to be selected three times, joining Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Mike Schmidt and Barry Bonds.

November 24, 2013 – The Cardinals signed free agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year/$53 million contract. The signing was controversial because Peralta had previously served a suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

November 25, 1947- Cardinals owner Sam Breadon sold the franchise to attorney Fred Saigh and Bob Hannegan, former Postmaster General of the United States and a St. Louis businessman. Saigh was indicted for income tax evasion in 1953 and was forced to sell the Cardinals by Commissioner Ford Frick. Saigh sold the team to the Anheuser-Busch brewery at a price lower than other offers to keep the team in St. Louis.

November 27, 1985 – Cardinals outfielder Vince Coleman was selected by the BBWAA as the National League Rookie of the Year. He was the fourth unanimous winner of the award in a list that included Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey.

November 28, 2006 – Adam Kennedy, former Cardinals first round draft pick in 1997, returned to the team on a three-year/$10 million contract. Kennedy missed the final six weeks of 2007 with a torn meniscus. Kennedy requested a trade at the end of the 2008 season. He was released by the Cardinals on February 9, 2009.

November 30, 2010 – The Cardinals acquired SS Ryan Theriot from the Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Blake Hawksworth. Theriot played one season for the Cardinals in 2011 and was non-tendered on December 13, 2011.

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St. Louis Cardinals 2025-2026 Winter Ball Report – November 30

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photo: JJ Wetherholt (Memphis Redbirds)

The St. Louis Cardinals made a series of roster changes at two deadlines this past week. The organization named their minor league Pitcher and Player of the Year, Brycen Mautz and JJ Wetherholt.  Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.

Cardinals make roster changes

As is required every offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals filed their Rule 5 draft reserve lists with the Commissioners’ office on Monday, November 18.  One player was removed from the 40-man roster, and four Rule 5 eligible players were added.

The 40-man roster had been at 37 players, but it was reduced to 36 when the Cardinals designated RHP Jorge Alcalá for assignment. At the same time, four Rule 5 eligible players, C Leonardo Bernal, RF Joshua Baez, LHP Brycen Mautz and LHP Cooper Hjerpe, were added to the roster.

Jorge Alcalá

The latter four are now protected from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, which will take place on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the last day of the Winter Meetings.

All four are currently on the roster of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. One or more of them should start the 2026 season with the Memphis Redbirds. Hjerpe is recovering from Tommy John surgery but is expected to return to pitch in 2026.

The roster became temporarily full with the addition of these four players.

The second wave of moves occurred on Friday, November 21, the tender deadline, as the Cardinals did not offer a 2026 contract to four players. They are C Yohel Pozo, RHP Sem Robberse, LHP John King and RHP Jorge Alcalá.

Sem Robberse

Robberse has not reached the major leagues and has been out since May 2025 with Tommy John surgery.

Alcalá had been designated for assignment on Monday, which removed him from the 40-man roster on that day.  He was non-tendered to release him from the organization.

All four non-tendered players are now free agents. The roster was trimmed back to 37 players with the removal of Pozo, King and Robberse.

Further details can be found in these articles:

Cardinals Non-Tender Four Players

Cardinals Protect Four from 2026 Rule 5 Draft

News and Notes for the Offseason

This section contains snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but should be of interest to Cardinal fans.

• The Cardinals named their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year. The honors went to infielder JJ Wetherholt, and LHP Brycen Mautz.

Wetherholt ended his season with the Memphis Redbirds and is virtually assured of receiving an invitation to St. Louis’ Spring Training camp. The 2024 first round draft pick is on the precipice of his major league debut.

Mautz spent the entire 2025 season with the Springfield Cardinals and is likely to begin 2026 with the Memphis Redbirds. An invite to Spring Training is also likely for the left hander.

Cardinals Name Wetherholt and Mautz 2025 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year

• The Cardinals announced their 29th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.
• Cardinals 2026 ticket packs are now on sale with seven options available. Information on purchasing them can be found
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas, a popular entertainment baseball team, will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.

The Big Picture

The deadlines for filing reserve lists and tendering 2026 contracts have now passed. The eventful week of roster churn ended with the Cardinals adding four minor league players to the 40-man roster and not tendering contracts to four others.

Details are provided above.

To clear up some possible confusion as to why Alcala’ was both designated for assignment and non-tendered, the DFA of the right hander only took him off the 40-man roster.  Since Alcalá was not claimed off waivers, the non-tender was done to release him from the organization and make him a free agent.

Yohel Pozo

Once a player is non-tendered and becomes a free agent, the Cardinals still can offer the player a minor league contract and the player has the choice to accept or decline. Multiple sources have reported that the Cardinals may do this with Yohel Pozo and Sem Robberse.

At this point in the offseason, we now wait to see what the Cardinals do in terms of trading some of their veteran players and potentially some arbitration eligible players. It is no secret that the team would like to trade Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, who all have high dollar guaranteed contracts with no-trade protection. A trade of Arenado is most likely, and Arenado has expanded his list of teams to whom he would accept a trade to facilitate the process. Trading Gray is also more likely now than last season, as Gray has expressed openness to it. Trading Contreras is more problematic, though not impossible, as he has not closed the door completely to the idea.

Reports indicate that the Cardinals will listen to offers on arbitration eligible players, including Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero.  Two of their nine arbitration eligible players, Jorge Alcalá, and John King, were recently non-tendered.

Trading Arenado and Gray would reduce the 40-man roster to 35, assuming no major leaguers are received in return. Trading one or more of the arbitration eligible players could open up additional spots.

The Cardinals need rotation help even without trading Gray and some additions to the pitching staff, whether in the rotation or the bullpen appears likely. The minor leagues do not have much MLB ready pitching depth, especially starting pitchers. Should there be injuries to the major league rotation, that lack of depth would be even more of an issue.

Making the necessary additions in the form of returns in a trade or by signing free agents is where the focus should be during the remainder of the offseason. However, cost-cutting may get in the way of this plan. The upcoming Winter Meetings will be a good opportunity to see where the franchise is heading on that front.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no new trade or acquisition rumors to report.

Transactions

• 11/18 The Cardinals selected the contract of RF Joshua Baez from the Springfield Cardinals.
• 11/18 The Cardinals selected the contract of C Leonardo Bernal from the Springfield Cardinals
• 11/18 The Cardinals selected the contract of LHP Cooper Hjerpe from the Springfield Cardinals.
• 11/18 The Cardinals selected the contract of LHP Brycen Mautz from the Springfield Cardinals.
• 11/18 The Cardinals designated RHP Jorge Alcalá for assignment.
• 11/21 LHP John King elected free agency.
• 11/21 RHP Sem Robberse elected free agency.
• 11/21 C Yohel Pozo elected free agency.
• 11/21 RHP Jorge Alcalá elected free agency.

Injury Report

• There is an update on SS Masyn Winn, who had surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee on September 25. Winn says his recovery timeline has been expedited. Winn has resumed jogging and hopes to be cleared to swing a bat and field grounders soon.

Masyn Winn

• There are no further updates on the recovery from offseason surgeries of Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.

Looking Ahead

The offseason continues into its fourth week. The filing of reserve lists and the tender deadline have passed.

The next key date on the offseason schedule is December 7.

First, the Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, formerly known as the Veterans Committee, will announce their 2026 selections. The nominees are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. Valenzuela is a former Cardinal.

The Winter Meetings will take place from December 7 through 10 in Orlando, Florida. This is the time when trades and signings may be commenced/finalized. In the past these Meetings were very busy and impactful. In the last several years, they have become less so, as teams are waiting longer for various reasons to make their decisions on players they wish to acquire.

During the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 draft and the annual draft lottery are held. The CBA prohibits teams from having lottery picks in three straight years. The Cardinals had a lottery pick last year, so this year will be their final chance under the current CBA, which expires on December 1, 2026.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise for a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.

In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period November 17 through November 23. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.

November 17, 2008 – Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is named the National League’s Most Valuable Player. This was Pujols’ second MVP award.

November 17, 2023 – On the non-tender deadline, the Cardinals did not tender contracts to RHP Dakota Hudson, RHP Jake Woodford, C Andrew Knizner and 1B/OF Juan Yepez.

November 20, 2023 – The Cardinals signed RHP Lance Lynn to a one-year contract. Lynn was drafted by and pitched for the Cardinals from 2011 through 2017.  He became a free agent at the end of the 2017 season and played for multiple teams before returning for his final MLB campaign in 2024. Lynn retired from baseball at the end of the season.

November 21, 2023 – The Cardinals signed RHP Kyle Gibson to a one-year contract. As with Lynn above, Gibson returned to free agency at the end of the 2024 season, but after unsuccessful attempts with the Orioles and the Rays, heretired from baseball.

November 22, 2013 – The Cardinals traded World Series hero David Freese and RHP Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk. Bourjos played for two seasons with St. Louis and was claimed off waivers by the Phillies in December 2015. Bourjos is now retired from baseball. Grichuk remained with the Cardinals for four seasons and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018. He played for the Diamondbacks and the Royals in the years since and is currently a free agent.

November 22, 1946 – Cardinal icon Stan Musial is selected as the National League Most Valuable Player and the Player of the Year by the Sporting News.

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photo: Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan are in the running for a National League Silver Slugger Award. Free agency for Miles Mikolas is approaching. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.

Two Cardinals named Silver Slugger finalists

The finalists for the 2025 Silver Slugger Awards were announced this past week. Two St. Louis Cardinals made the list for the National League, both at the position of Utility Player.

Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan are among the top three finishers in this category along with Jake Cronenworth of the San Diego Padres. The Silver Slugger recognizes a top hitter at each position in each league.

Brendan Donovan

Donovan finished the season (a little prematurely) with a slash line of .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI. He had a wRC+ of 119 and was worth 2.9 WAR. His OPS was .775 and his OPS+ was 119. His Total Bases were 194 and he scored 64 runs.

Alec Burleson

Burleson tallied a .290/ .343/.459 slash line. He had 18 home runs and 54 RBI, a 124 wRC+ and was worth 2.1 WAR. His OPS was .801 and his OPS+ was 125. His Total Bases were 228 and Runs scored was 54.

Cronenworth had a slash line of .246/.367/.377, 11 home runs, 61 RBI, a 117 wRC+ and was worth 2.9 WAR. His OPS was .744 and his OPS+ was 108. His Total Bases were 158 and Runs scored was 61.

Silver Slugger Award winners are determined by a vote of managers and coaches for each position player in their league. Votes are based on offensive statistics that include OPS, OPS+, home runs, RBI, Batting Average, Total Bases, and Runs. Also considered is the manager and coaches’ overall impression of the player’s offensive value.

The winners will be announced on November 6 at 5 p.m. CT for the NL, and for the AL on November 7 at 5 p.m. CT via The Baseball Insiders stream on You Tube.

News and Notes for the Offseason

While it is not officially the “Offseason” until the postseason is over, it is the working offseason for the Cardinals. This section in the coming months will contain information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinal fans.

• The Cardinals have parted ways with former St. Louis bench coach Joe McEwing. McEwing was a player for the Cardinals for two seasons in 1998-99 and was the bench coach to Oli Marmol before he was given the position of special assistant to the President of Baseball Operations in 2023. Coinciding with John Mozeliak moving on and new POBO Chaim Bloom taking over, McEwing’s days with the Cardinals organization have come to an end.

• Former Cardinals icon Albert Pujols is out of the picture for the open manager positions with the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles, as reported this past week. Pujols’s desire to manager an MLB team is still alive, however, as he is reportedly under consideration to replace Mike Shildt as manager of the San Diego Padres.

• For those fans who are eager to continue to see Cardinals players play baseball for an extended time, the Arizona Fall League is for you. Eight Cardinal minor leaguers, five pitchers and three position players, are currently playing in the AFL for the Glendale Desert Dogs. The league will play through November 12. Most games are available to stream on the AFL website here. It should be noted that it appears Glendale home games are not available to stream but most, if not all, road games can be streamed. The Cardinal Nation features daily game recaps and links to box scores.
• “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas are scheduled to return to St. Louis next year for two games. The popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.

The Big Picture

With only a week left in the postseason, the official beginning of the offseason is drawing near. The World Series is underway, with the two contenders, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers tied at one game apiece.

The series resumes on Monday at Dodger Stadium for Game 3, with Games 4 and 5 to follow on Wednesday and Thursday.  Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will return to Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Thus, the official offseason can begin no later than November 2, the day following the World Series if it goes to Game 7.

Miles Mikolas

As we discussed last week in this space, the offseason begins with eligible players electing their free agency and teams making the Qualifying Offer to selected free agents. The Cardinals have one free agent, Miles Mikolas, and they almost certainly will not give the right-handed starting pitcher the Qualifying Offer.

So, what is next for Cardinals fans?  Absent any surprises about Mikolas, the next date of interest (that is not an offseason award announcement) is November 18. This is the date that teams must file their Reserve List (a/k/a “40-man roster”) with the Commissioner’s Office. This is done to protect eligible minor league players from the Rule 5 draft. Any Rule 5 eligible minor league players who are not already on the 40-man roster and who the team wants to protect, must be added by 3 p.m. CT on this date.

Some eligible players who may be added include Leonardo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Cooper Hjerpe and Brycen Mautz. Others may be removed.

Following November 18, the next date of interest is November 21. This is the Tender deadline (also referred to as the non-tender deadline). That is the day teams must offer a contract to all players who are not signed to a guaranteed contract for the following season. This includes arbitration eligible players as well as pre-arbitration players. Those players who are not offered a contract are considered non-tendered (hence the alternative title) and they become a free agent.

There has been no indication of players who will be non-tendered, though with a new POBO on board, there is no way of knowing if such news is likely to be leaked ahead of time. If that does occur you can find it mentioned here in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more happenings as the official beginning of the offseason nears.

Trade and Acquisition Rumors

There are no new trade rumors to report.

Transactions

There are no transactions to report.

Injury Report

• 2B Brendan Donovan had surgery on October 7 to repair a sports hernia. Donovan had been reported to have groin issues and was shut down for the last week of the season. The recovery time for sports hernia surgery in this context is typically 8-12 weeks, which should put Donovan in good shape to start Spring Training on time.

Lars Nootbaar

• LF Lars Nootbaar also had offseason surgery on October 7. The reason is Haglund’s deformities, which are bony enlargements on the heel bone where the Achilles tendon attaches. The surgery was on both heels. Chaim Bloom reported on KMOX Radio that the outfielder may not be ready for Opening Day but his regular season time to be missed is expected to be “brief”.

Iván Herrera

• C/DH Iván Herrera had surgery on October 15 to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. This surgery is minor and will not affect Herrera’s offseason preparation or readiness for Spring Training. For 2026, Herrera is focusing on returning behind the plate after serving as the designated hitter for much of 2025.

Looking Ahead

The Postseason is underway. Games 1 and 2 of the World Series have been played between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers and the series is tied 1-1. Games 3 through 5 will be played at Dodger Stadium, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday, October 27.

The World Series will end no later than November 1.

The Arizona Fall League is underway and will continue through Wednesday, November 12. The Cardinals have eight players assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs. Those 8 players are RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Darlin Saladin, RHP Tyler Bradt, RHP Randel Clemente, RHP D.J. Carpenter, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Miguel Ugueto, and OF Travis Honeyman.

At 9:00 am the day following the end of the World Series, the offseason officially begins. Eligible free agents will declare their free agency. The Cardinals have one free agent, Mile Mikolas. Qualifying Offers will be made during the week following the World Series. Mikolas is not likely to receive a Qualifying Offer.

November is awards month and the finalists for two of the awards have already been announced. They are shortstop Masyn Winn and center fielder Victor Scott for Gold Glove Awards, and Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson for Silver Slugger Awards. Those winners will be announced on November 2 and November 6, respectively.

Blast from the Past

This week’s Blast from the Past continues with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the past history of the franchise for a relevant period of time.

For this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period October 20 through October 26 and focus on records set or broken or other notable events, transactions, and any other unique event.

For each event, its date, the individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are included.

October 20, 1964 – On this date, Manager Johnny Keane resigned one day following his team’s World Series Championship win in Game 7 against the New York Yankees. Red Schoendienst was named the new manager and continued in that role for 12 seasons from 1965-1976, and as interim manager in 1980 and 1990.

October 21, 2004 – On this date, the Cardinals advanced to their first World Series in 17 years with a win over the Astros in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. This was the franchise’s 16^th NL Pennant since their first in 1926.

October 22, 2011 – In Game 3 of the World Series the Cardinals routed the Rangers by the score of 16-7. Albert Pujols hit three home runs, and collected five hits and six RBI, which tied the World Series record in those categories. Pujols also set a World Series record with 14 total bases.

October 26, 1985 –On this date, Umpire Don Denkinger made his blown call heard round the world, when he called Royals pinch hitter Jorge Orta safe at first base in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. The controversial call, which was shown by video to be wrong, and was later admitted so by Denkinger, led to the Royals winning Game 6. Had the call been made correctly, the game would have ended in a win for the Cardinals and a World Series victory. Instead, the Royals won Game 6 and Game 7.

October 26, 2013 – On this date, in Game 3 of the World Series between the Cardinals and the Red Sox, an obstruction call ended a game for the first time in World Series history. After Yadier Molina was thrown out at the plate, Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a bad throw to third base to catch Allen Craig out at third. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks fell down attempting to catch the ball and interfered with Craig trying to run home. The umpires ruled that Craig had been obstructed by Middlebrooks and had safely scored the winning walk off run to give the Cardinals a 5-4 victory.

October 26, 2014 – Sadly, on this date in 2014, Cardinals rookie prospect Oscar Taveras was killed in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic at the age of 22. Taveras had been not only the Cardinals number one prospect but had also been the number 1 or 2 prospect in most of the national ranking lists. Taveras had only played in 80 major league games in 2014 before his untimely death. The outfielder and his 18-year-old girlfriend both passed in the accident, attributed to alcohol and excessive speed.

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